CRAFTING THE CURRICULUM:

The Teacher as a Curriculum Designer

PSED 202 SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2019 11 A.M. -3 P.M.
SHEILA MARIE N. BUGAYONG, ED.D.
CURRICULUM DESIGNING
A curriculum as a planned sequence of learning experiences
should be at the heart and mind of every teacher. Every
teacher as a curricularist should be involved in designing a
curriculum. In fact, it is one of the teacher’s role as a
curricularist. As such, you will be part of the intellectual
journey of your learners. You will be providing them the
necessary experiences that will enable the learner what you
intend to learn.
CURRICULUM DESIGNING
As a curriculum designer this task was not given much
attention in the past. Every single day, a teacher designs a
lesson or utilizes a curriculum that has been made and was
previously written. Designing a curriculum is a very
challenging task. It is here where the style and creativity of
the teacher come in. Thus, this module will provide the
necessary concepts and activities that you as a teacher can
refer to as you prepare yourself to be a curriculum designer.
Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Curriculum
Designing
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Identify the fundamentals of curriculum
designing
Appreciate the task of designing a curriculum
Peter Oliva’s 10 Axioms for Curriculum
Designers
Before a teacher designs a curriculum, it would be of
great importance to connect to the fundamental
concepts and ideas about the curriculum mentioned
in Modules 1 and 2. Every curriculum designer,
implementer, or evaluator should take in mind the
following general axioms as a guide in curriculum
development (Oliva, 2003):
1.Curriculum change is inevitable,
necessary and desirable.
Earlier it was stated that one of the characteristics of
curriculum is its being dynamic. Because of this, teachers
should respond to the changes that occur in schools and in
its context. Societal development and knowledge revolution
come so fast that the need to address the changing
condition requires new curriculum designs.
2. Curriculum is a product of its time.
A relevant curriculum should respond to changes brought
about by current social forces, philosophical positions,
psychological principles, new knowledge, and educational
reforms. This is also called timeliness.
3. Curriculum changes made earlier can exist
concurrently with newer curriculum changes.
A revision in a curriculum starts and ends slowly. More
often, curriculum is gradually phased in and out, thus the
changes that occur can coexist and oftentimes overlap for
long periods of time.
4. Curriculum change depends on people
who will implement the change.
Teachers who will implement the curriculum should be
involved in its development, hence should know how to
design a curriculum. Because the teachers are the
implementers of the curriculum, it is best that they should
design and own the changes. This will ensure an effective
and long lasting change.
5. Curriculum development is a
cooperative group activity.
Group decisions in some aspects of curriculum development
are suggested. Consultations with stakeholders when
possible will add a sense of ownership. Even learners should
participate in some aspect of curriculum designing. Any
significant change in the curriculum should involve a broad
range of stakeholders to gain their understanding, support
and input.
6. Curriculum development is a decision-
making process made from choice of
alternatives.
A curriculum developer or designer must decide what
contents to teach, philosophy or point of view to support,
how to provide for multicultural gropus, what methods or
strategies, and what type of evaluation to use.
7. Curriculum development is an ongoing
process.
Continuous monitoring, examination, evaluation, and
improvement of curricula are to be considered in the design
of the curriculum. As the needs of learners change, as
society changes, and as new knowledge and technology
appear, the curriculum must change.
8. Curriculum development is more effective
if it is a comprehensive process, rather than a
“piecemeal.”
A curriculum design should be based on a careful plan,
should clearly establish intended outcomes, support
resources and needed time available and should equip
teaching staff pedagogically.
9. Curriculum development is more effective
when it follows a systematic process.
A curriculum design is composed of desired outcomes,
subject matter content complemented with references, set
of procedures, needed materials and resources and
evaluation procedure which can be placed in a matrix.
10. Curriculum development starts from
where the curriculum is.
Curriculum planners and designers should begin with
existing curriculum. An existing design is a good starting
point for any teacher who plans to enhance and enrich a
curriculum.
For most curricula, the major components or
elements are answers to the following questions:
1. What learning outcomes need to be achieved? (Intended
Learning Outcomes)
2. What content should be included to achieve the learning
outcomes? (Subject Matter)
3. What learning experiences and resources should be
employed? (Teaching-Learning Methods)
4. How will the achieved learning outcomes be measured?
(Assessment of Achieved Learning Outcomes)
Elements or
Components of a
Curriculum Design
I. Behavioral Objectives or Intended
Learning Outcomes
Begin with the end in view. The objectives or intended
learning outcomes are the reasons for undertaking the
learning lesson from the student’s point of view; it is desired
learning outcome that is to be accomplished in a particular
learning episode, engaged in by the learners udner the
guidance of the teacher. As a curriculum designer, the
beginning of the learning journey is the learning outcomes
to be achieved. In this way, both the learner and the teacher
are guided what to accomplish.
1. Behavioral Objectives or Intended
Learning Outcomes
◦The behavioral objectives, intended learning outcomes or
desired learning outcomes are expressed in action words
found in the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of Objectives
(Andersen and Krathwohl, 2003) for the development of
the cognitive skills. For the affective skills, the taxonomy
made by Krathwohl and for the psychomotor domain by
Simpson.
1. Behavioral Objectives or Intended
Learning Outcomes
The statement should be SMART: Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Result oriented and
Time bound. For a beginner, it would help if you
provide the Condition, Performance and Extent
or Level of Performance in the statement of the
intended learning outcomes.
II. Content/Subject Matter
The content of the lesson or the unit is the topic or subject
matter that will be covered. In selecting content, you should
bear in mind the following principles in addition to those
mentioned about the content in previous lessons:
II. Content/Subject Matter
Subject matter should be relevant to the outcomesof the
curriculum. An effective curriculum is purposive and clearly
focused on the planned learning outcomes.
Subject matter should be appropriate to the level of the
lesson or unit. An effective curriculum is progressive,
leading students towards building on previous lessons.
Contents which are too basic or too advanced for the
development levels of learners make students either bored
or baffled, and affect their motivation to learn.
II. Content/Subject Matter
Subject matter should be up to date and, if possible, should reflect
current knowledge and concepts.
III. References
The references follows the content. It tells where the content or
subject matter has been taken. The reference may be a book, a
module, or any publication. It must bear the author of the material
and if possible, the publications. Some examples are given below.
1. Project Wild (1992) K to 12 Activity Guide, An Interdisciplinary, Supplementary Conservation
and Environmental Education Program. Council of Environmental Education, Bethesda, MD
2. Shipman, James and Jerry Wilson, et al (2009). An Introduction to Physical Science. Houghton
Mifflin Co. Boston MA
3. Romo, Salvador B. (2013). Horticulture an Exploratory Course. Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon
City
4. Bilbao, Purita P. and Corpuz, Brenda B. et al (2012). The Teaching Profession 2nd Ed. Lorimar
Publishing Inc. Quezon City
IV. TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS
There are activities where the learners derive experiences.
It is always good to keep in mind the teaching strategies
that students will experience (lectures, laboratory classes,
fieldwork etc.) and make them learn. The teaching-learning
methods should allow cooperation, competition as well as
individualism or independent learning among the students.
For example:
Cooperative learning activities also students to work together. Students are guided to learn on
their own to find solutions to their problems. The role of the teachers is to guide the learners.
Democratic process is encouraged, and each one contributes to the success of learning.
Students learn from each other in ways. Group projects and activities considerably enhance the
curriculum.
Independent learning activities allow learners to develop personal responsibility. The degree of
independence to learn how to learn is enhanced. This strategy is more appropriate for fast
learners.
Competitive activities, where students will test their competencies against another in a healthy
manner allow learners to perform to their maximum. Most successful individuals in their adult
life are competitive, even in early schooling. They mostly become the survivors in a very
competitive world.
For example:
The use of various delivery modes to provide learning experiences
is recommended. Online learning and similar modes are increasingly
important in many curricula, but these need to be planned carefully
to be effective.
VI. Assessment/Evaluation
Learning occurs most effectively when students receive feedback, i.e. when they receive
information on what they have already (and have not) learned. The process by which this
information is generated is assessment. It has three main forms:
Self-assessment, through which students learn to monitor and evaluate their own learning.
This would be a significant element in the curriculum because we aim to produce graduates who
are appropriately reflective and self-critical.
Peer assessment, in which students provide feedback on each other’s learning. This can be
viewed as an extension of self-assessment and presuppose trust and mutual respect. Research
suggests that students can learn to judge each other’s work as reliably as staff.
Teacher assessment, in which the teacher prepares and administers tests and give feedback on
the student’s performance.
Assessment may be formative or
summative.
Formative (providing feedback to help the student learn more) or Summative
(expressing a judgment on the student’s achievement by reference to stated
criteria). Many assessment tasks involve an element of both, e.g. an assignment
that is marked and returned to the student with detailed comments.
Summative assessment usually involves the allocation of marks or grades. This
helps the teacher make decisions about the progress or performance of the
students.
Students usually learn more by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of
their work than by knowing the mark or grade given to it. For this reason,
summative assessment tasks (including unseen examinations) should include an
element of formative feedback, if possible.
Major Components of a Course Design or
Syllabus:
1. Intended Outcomes (or Objectives)
2. Content/Subject Matter (with references)
3. Methods/Strategies (with needed resources)
4. Evaluation (means of assessment)
CONCLUSION
All other additional components are trimmings that
each designer may place. This additional part may be
an institutional template, suggested by other
curriculum experts and as required by educational
agencies like the Department of Education,
Commission on Higher Education, Accrediting
Agencies, Professional Organizations that would
serve the purposes they intend to achieve.